Issues
Transportation
Northern Virginia’s transportation system must be improved. The current gridlock on the roads hurts our quality of life and is a significant impediment to economic growth. Time wasted in a traffic jam at night is time missed with children, and clogged roads block vital arteries of commerce. The steadily deteriorating quality of Metro service is also unacceptable. For years, politicians, such as Jim Moran, have pledged to end our region’s transportation crisis, yet the situation only continues to grow worse. In short, our leaders have overpromised and underperformed.
To turn things around, we must have both realistic expectations and practical plans. Anyone who tells you that we can end gridlock in a couple of years isn’t telling the truth. It took us decades to get into this mess, and it will take us many years to get out of it. Similarly, while it sounds good to propose numerous expensive transportation projects, finding the money to pay for all of them is far tougher.
My transportation plan therefore focuses on that which is feasible. It provides a new dedicated funding stream for transportation projects and identifies specific projects that will ease congestion. It also calls for increasing the accountability of those responsible for the Metro system and shifting Metro’s priorities. Rather than focusing on expanding a deteriorating system, we must concentrate on stabilizing and then improving Metro’s quality of service.
Here are my specific proposals for improving transportation in Northern Virginia:
1. Establish a new funding stream for Virginia transportation projects – The federal government as quickly as possible should offer leases for oil and gas exploration off the coast of Virginia. The Commonwealth of Virginia should then receive at least 37.5% of the royalties generated by these leases, just as states on the Gulf Coast currently do. These royalties should then be dedicated to funding transportation projects in Virginia.
2. Widen westbound I-66 at strategic points within the existing-right-of-way – Congestion on westbound I-66 has been growing significantly worse over the years and would be eased by widening the highway at certain points. Specifically, I favor adding an additional lane between: (1) Lee Highway and Glebe Road; (2) Fairfax Drive and Sycamore Street; and (3) Washington Boulevard and the Dulles Access Road. While I recognize that some in Arlington oppose this plan, any impact on the surrounding community would be significantly minimized by limiting any widening to the existing right-of-way. In addition, easing congestion on I-66 would benefit those Arlington residents who use the highway and have the side benefit of reducing traffic on Arlington surface streets since many drivers currently use those streets to avoid traffic jams on I-66. Finally, any widening of I-66 must preserve the Custis Trail, which is a vital bike path in the area.
3. Expand the Beltway with HOT lanes – To ease congestion on the Beltway, I favor the continued construction of two high-occupancy-toll (HOT) lanes in each direction for a fourteen-mile stretch of I-495 in Northern Virginia. These lanes will be open to carpoolers, buses, and emergency vehicles on a free-of-charge basis. They will also be open to the drivers of single occupant vehicles, who will have to pay a toll that will change throughout the day depending on traffic conditions. This variable toll will keep these lanes free of congestion, even during rush hour. This project, which will be operated by a private company, represents the type of innovative public-private partnership that we should seek to replicate in the future, particularly on I-395.
4. Construct a parkway to link Reston to Rockville – Currently, there is a thirty-five mile distance between the Capital Beltway’s American Legion Bridge and the next bridge north over the Potomac River. This means that many Northern Virginians have to make unnecessarily long trips to go to Maryland. Moreover, these trips contribute to congestion on the Beltway. To alleviate these problems, we should construct a parkway that would link Reston to Rockville, which would include a bridge over the Potomac River. Such a parkway would mean shorter commutes for many Northern Virginians and less congestion on the Beltway.
5. Focus on improving Metro’s accountability and quality of service - For years, the quality of service provided by the Metro system has been steadily deteriorating: delays have become more frequent; cars have become more crowded; malfunctions have become more common; and concerns about passenger safety have increased. Responsibility for many of the problems rests with the system’s leadership. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has been mismanaged and lacked accountability. Too often, riders feel as if WMATA’s leadership doesn’t listen to their input or understand their frustrations.
I therefore believe it is imperative that WMATA’s Board of Directors be restructured. In particular, at least half of the Board should be made up of regular riders of Metrorail or Metrobus, and those riders should not be allowed to hold another elected or appointed political office. Those running Metro should have regular firsthand experience with the system. In addition, a position on WMATA’s Board should not be treated a secondary political job, which unfortunately is too often the case today. If an individual is serving on WMATA’s Board, that should be the primary focus of his or her public service (rather than, as is currently the case, service on the Arlington County Board of Supervisors, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, or D.C. City Council).
I also believe that our primary focus must be on improving on Metro’s quality of service. It is a mistake to keep expanding a system that is deteriorating and not meeting current riders’ needs. Money that is being spent on expansion could be better used on maintenance and restoring the quality of service that current riders deserve.
6. Implement Cycle-to-Work programs – To ease traffic congestion, we should encourage bicycle commuting. Specifically, in congested areas, such as Northern Virginia, we should provide a tax credit to employers who implement a Cycle-to-Work program. In the program, employers would loan bicycles to employees, and employees would use the bikes to ride to and from work. Employers would then be allowed to claim the tax credit for the cost of the bicycles as well as reasonable maintenance costs. Cycle-to-work programs will remove cars from the street, reduce pollution, and promote healthy behavior.
